There are various ways to communicate information on the visible, exterior surfaces of outer clothing such as jackets, coats, vests and the like. The form and content of the communication, of course, can vary greatly. The words or symbols themselves may be attached either permanently or temporarily to the garment's exterior surface. A common example of this is a baseball jacket with words or symbols printed or embroidered on its front or rear panels. Alternatively, the words or symbols may be permanently or temporarily attached to a secondary structure, such as a panel or sign, which itself may be attached to the garment's outer surface. An example of this is the number sign used by track meet contestants. There are, however, drawbacks to these methods which this invention addresses.
One drawback of having information attached permanently to the garment's exterior surface is the loss of versatility. Garments having information designed for a particular audience or purpose attached to the front or rear panel of the garment may not be desirable for continuous wear by the user. A police jacket, for instance, having the words "Police" or "Police Department" printed on its front or rear panels would not be suitable to wear by an on-duty undercover policeman.
Two drawbacks of having the information temporarily attached to the exterior surface are: (1) the informational panel or sign must be physically attached or detached from the garment's surface; and (2) when detached, the informational panel or sign must be stored in a nearby location for future use.
Some advantages of having the informational display panel or sign temporarily attached to the exterior surface include: (1) the informational panel or sign may be removed and exchange for other panels or signs having different information printed on them and; (2) the informational display panel or sign may be removed and used independently from the garment.
There is a need for articles of outer clothing such as jackets, coats, vests and the like having informational display panels that may be permanently or temporarily attached to the outer clothing which can be quickly and conveniently stowed therein and selectively displayed. Such a means is provided in the following invention.